The Boundless Necromancer - Chapter 114

Chapter 114:
“Let’s just charge in and kill them all to finish the trial.” After I finished speaking these words,

a suffocating silence settled around me.

“………”

The three challengers stared at me as if wondering what I was saying…

The silence persisted for a while until David Taylor regained his composure and spoke, sounding bewildered.

“…There’s so much I want to ask, but I’ll stick to this one question.”

“Please go ahead.”

“Do you really believe that we can just charge in recklessly and win…?”

“Isn’t that obvious? If all of us here charge in, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

“……Whew. I misspoke. He is certainly crazy, perhaps even megalomaniac.

David continued, seeming to rub his temples as if I were irritating him.

“I’m also curious how you were evaluated as the top challenger by the Tower.”

“……?”

“You might not know, but I’ve heard about the 13th-floor trial from the administrators.”

“Is that so?”

The fact that he had heard from the administrators likely meant he had used up questioning rights to obtain the information.

Since there was no harm in knowing and potentially losing out on anything, I looked at David and slowly posed my question.

“What’s the reason for your excessive caution?”

“·····The strength of the vampire count is among the upper echelons even among S-rank hunters, and the vampire minions, who are nothing more than subordinates, surpass the abilities of C-rank hunters with ease. Furthermore, vampires are known for their bodily regeneration, so they can’t be easily killed.”

“Hmm…..”

“But, just barging into the city recklessly? No matter how skilled the four of us are, that would be suicide. Even if the administrators hadn’t told me about this level’s trial, this level of caution should be inherent.”

“Do others share the same opinion?”

I casually brushed off David’s words and asked about the opinions of the others.

I wanted to know if they were genuinely planning to spend the entire 14 days with such caution to pass the trial, as this mage suggested.

The answer became evident quite quickly.

Well, that’s to be expected…

“…..crazy idiot. I considered myself quite aggressive, but you’re at a level of having no strategy at all. ”

“…..No, even so, wouldn’t a city-wide battle be a bit much with just the four of us?”

It was because the reactions of Andrei Tarkovsky and Michimoto Sachiho had come right back.

Even Andrei Tarkovsky seemed surprised that there might be a more aggressive challenger than himself.

Following that, I couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of disappointment from the reactions of my three teammates.

‘I thought being top challengers would make them different from ordinary people… turns out, it’s not ture.’

They were merely aiming for safety without considering the risks.

While it was understandable to pursue safety, but they were top challengers after all.

‘Haven’t they realized that this approach is slow for growth while climbing the Tower?’

They must know that relying on safety alone wouldn’t suffice to obtain additional breakthrough rewards.

However, despite that, they were just overthinking about the abilities of vampires, their regeneration powers, and such.

‘Frustrating. The more cautious they are, the slower our growth becomes.’

Standing still for a moment, I sighed deeply and opened my mouth as if there was no other choice.

“If that’s the team’s consensus, then I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

And then,

“I’ll just go ahead and clear everything out, so you can proceed with your original plan while I’m at it.”

With that statement, I decided to completely disengage from my teammates.

“What? What’s this abou…”

Andrei started to protest, his brow furrowing, but…

“This is the maximum consideration I can offer to the team.”

Cutting him off, I focused my mind and activated one of my abilities.

‘Steel Wings’ are activated,

and at that instant, a pair of magnificent steel wings spread out.

“Well then, see you later.”

I shot up into the sky with incredible speed.

“Wait, this crazy…! Come down right now! Solo actions will only bring misfortune!”

“A flight ability…!? What kind of contract did you make with the administrator to have such an ability?”

“What he was bluffing about was this… He’s even crazier than I thought.”

I could hear my teammates shouting something from below, but I paid them no attention.

It made sense.

‘If this was really a dangerous trial, ‘ Iron- blooded Monarch’ or ‘ White Crane Sword Saint’ would have warned me.’

The reason I don’t consider the current 13th-floor trial to be particularly dangerous is because of that.

“Administrator ‘Iron- blooded Monarch’ admires the exceptional judgment of the contractor.”

“Administrator ‘White Crane Sword Saint’ nods, saying that in times like this, it’s best to just ignore it.”

“Administrator ‘Hero of the fallen World’ chuckles, finding the support of your ability worthwhile.”

If it had truly been perilous, the administrators wouldn’t have reacted this way.

“Administrator ‘ Ocean’s Assassin’ looks at you, his contractor, who abandoned him.”

“Administrator ‘ Blue flame magician’ is angered by your disregard for his contractor.”

“Administrator ‘Magic tools producer’ feels intrigued by your insolence toward his contractor.”

Of course, the three administrators believed to be associated with the three challengers protested through administrator messages, but soon enough, these administrators would lose all inclination to say anything to me.

Why? Because…

“The location of the Vampire Count is marked on the minimap.”

I was planning to defeat the Vampire Count and pass the trial.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve had a battle with a group. Looking forward to it.’

The thought of facing a group battle brought a smile to my face.

David Taylor was a clever magician.

He was a member of the Clock Tower, one of the highest-ranking magical organizations around the world.

He had served as a highly skilled combat magician on the frontlines for a long time and was also a retiring Grand Magician.

Of course, due to being chosen by the Tower of Trials, he continued to actively engage even during what should have been his retirement years, which didn’t quite fit his retirement image, but…

David Taylor considered becoming a challenger a stroke of luck.

Originally, magicians were individuals who pursued the truth, and the Tower of Trials was a fitting subject of exploration for any magician.

As always, David Taylor intelligently overcame the trials of each layer within the Tower of Trials and became one of the top challengers.

One might even say he was an elite among elites, gaining the aura of a pioneer and solidifying a contract with the administrators.

At least, David Taylor saw himself as an elite.

However…

‘Why the hell are these damn bastards ignoring my words…!’

David Taylor’s frustration had reached an unbearable level.

It was understandable.

This time, a certain Korean challenger assigned as his team member suddenly began acting on his own.

Despite being advised to avoid risky actions like solo ventures or group battles within the 13th-floor trial, this challenger was disregarding those warnings.

After casually brushing off David Taylor’s words, Han Sung Yeun soared into the sky as he pleased.

As a result, David Taylor was now sprinting through the forest like a madman.

‘I need to move quickly according to the strategic plan before that lunatic gets himself killed in a messy battle in the city…!’

David Taylor had heard from the administrators about how exceptionally challenging the 13th-floor trial was.

The physical abilities of ordinary vampires were comparable to challengers on the 7th floor of the Tower, and their regenerative abilities exceeded imagination.

Moreover, even the vampire count, who was the final boss of the 13th floor, was a special vampire chosen by the gods, boasting insane capabilities.

‘Did he think the Tower just arbitrarily designate the theme of this floor as strategic combat? What a foolish man…!’

The theme of this integrated trial was strategic combat, a trial purely testing one’s strategic abilities.

It was the most suitable theme for someone as intelligent as David Taylor, and he found this trial quite interesting,

until Han Sung Yeun acted recklessly.

‘What does that fool think he knows to act so carelessly…! Damn it!’

While gasping for breath and running, David Taylor secretly cursed Han Sung Yeon.

Han SungYeun had dared to not follow his plans in a topic that was suitable for even a mediocre hunter.

That damn guy becoming the top-ranked challenger was nothing more than luck.

He had been overestimated, inflating himself with empty words in a topic where his skills weren’t even that great.

However, this inner frustration was short-lived, and David Taylor soon composed himself.

“……It’s alright. I’ve already sent Michimoto Sachiho and Andrei Tarkovsky ahead, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

After the situation escalated due to Han SungYeun’s solo action,

Michimoto Sachiho and Andrei Tarkovsky had been sent to the city occupied by the vampires in advance.

Although David Taylor’s mobility wasn’t high, he was belatedly trying to catch up…..

However, Michimoto Sachiho was Japan’s only S-class hunter, and Andrei Tarkovsky was the leader of CarpeDiem, Russia’s largest guild.

Both of them had been quite powerful even before the appearance of the Tower, so they would likely make use of their respective strengths to contact the clerics.

However…..

” ……!?”

At that moment, when David Taylor arrived at the vampire city,

he saw two challengers standing in front of the partly broken city gate, surrounded by a loud commotion.

They were Michimoto Sachiho and Andrei Tarkovsky.

Contrary to David Taylor’s expectations, the two of them were gazing beyond the broken gate

as if something unbelievable was happening on the other side.

Perplexed, David Taylor felt a surge of frustration.

‘Damn it… I advised them to act strategically, and yet they’re behaving like this…’

Feeling exasperated by their behavior, David Taylor swiftly moved towards them.

Without hesitating, and with the intention of quickly entering the city and finding the clerics,

David Taylor had been approaching, ready to express his anger.

However, he abruptly halted and exclaimed,

“No, what on earth is this…”

He understood now.

He understood why the two challengers were fixated on the other side of the broken gate as if under some illusion.

David Taylor was shocked by the scene beyond the gate where the loud commotion originated.

Bammm!

Beyond the gate that was now in ruins, dozens of vampires were swarming…

Pale-skinned vampires, each emitting a crimson aura from their bodies, moved swiftly.

“Damn it…! This human challenger! How dare he toy with us, the human challenger!” “Capture that arrogant human and kill him! We shall offer this fool to the God of Battle!”

“Do not be afraid! The God of Battle watches over us! We cannot be defeated by mere humans!”

Their cries were desperate attempts to exclude just one intruder……

However, a man in the center of the skirmish was preventing their actions.

Slice!

The man who stood in the midst of the fray was wielding a pair of swords, swaying them like a dance.

Every time, the bodies of the vampires were torn into pieces mercilessly and ruthlessly slaughtered.

It was genocide.

David Taylor stood still and witnessed the absurd display of power,

and he soon realized who the man drawing such graceful paths with his swords was.

“This is unbelievable…”

Han Sungyeun,

the challenger whom David Taylor had inwardly mocked as foolish until just now,

maintained a cold expression as he orchestrated a slaughter of dozens of vampires.

It was as if he were invincible, impervious to any exhaustion.

Faced with such monstrous combat prowess, David Taylor couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the battle that unfolded before him.

And then…

“……”

David Taylor gazed at Han Sungyeun, who moved around like a monster, and he had to question himself.

‘Did I really need tactics…?’

The situation that he had believed couldn’t be resolved with brute force alone…

Was it not simply because he lacked the strength himself?

[To be continued.]